New data from real estate technology platform Chalet indicates that nearly one-third of all 2025 market searches for Airbnb investment properties were concentrated in just three Sun Belt states. According to the company's analysis, Florida, California, and Texas collectively accounted for 32.5% of investor searches on their platform throughout the year, demonstrating the enduring appeal of these markets for short-term rental investors.
The findings reveal a continued preference for regional vacation markets over major urban centers when it comes to property investment considerations. Chalet's data showed higher engagement rates for these regional markets compared to traditional city destinations, suggesting investors are increasingly looking beyond conventional tourism hubs for opportunities in the growing short-term rental sector.
Despite the concentration of interest in Sun Belt states, the data also indicates that investor attention remains widely distributed across markets. Even the most-searched individual market accounted for only about 1.8% of total searches, pointing to a diverse landscape of investment opportunities rather than dominance by any single location. This distribution suggests investors are conducting thorough market research across multiple potential investment areas.
Chalet, which operates at www.GetChalet.com, provides free Airbnb market analytics and interactive performance data to help users analyze short-term rental properties. The platform offers ROI calculators and connects users with a nationwide network of agents and lenders specializing in short-term rentals, all without costs or paywalls. By combining transparent data with user-friendly tools, the company supports data-driven analysis of vacation rental markets across the United States.
The company has announced plans to introduce an AI Copilot in 2026 to assist with more efficient data interpretation and market trend comparisons. This technological advancement could further streamline the investment research process for users of platforms like Chalet, potentially accelerating decision-making for investors in the competitive short-term rental market.
For business and technology leaders, these findings highlight several important trends in the real estate technology and hospitality sectors. The concentration of investor interest in Sun Belt states suggests continued confidence in the economic and tourism fundamentals of these regions, while the distributed nature of searches indicates sophisticated market analysis is becoming more accessible through platforms like Chalet. The planned introduction of AI tools in 2026 points to increasing automation in real estate investment analysis, which could lower barriers to entry and increase competition in the short-term rental market. These developments have implications for hospitality industry planning, real estate investment strategies, and technology development in the property analytics space.
